Rolling-mill furnace.



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UNITE BERNARD PETER-SON, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

RGLLING-IILL FURNACE Speccaton oi' Letters Patent.

Patented March 16, 1909.

Application filed August 2l, 1.908. Serial No. 449,614.

To all whom 'it may concern:

i to one of the tracks 5 or 6 having idler rolls Be it known that L'BERNARD PETERSON, i0, and fed by means of rolls 1l into one of a citizen of the United States, residing at l two doors l2 Worcester, in the county of YVVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Rolling-vlill Furnace, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rolling mill practice.

In ordinary rolling the end of a billet about feet long is introduced into the rolling mill, which comprises from 10 to 18 sets of rolls. Very often the end of a billet does not properly enter some pair of rolls and chokes, or cobbles, When this happens the mill has to be stopped as quickly as possible, and the last end of the billet cut off. Then the mill is untangled and started again as soon as possible. If this takes only a min ute or two the rest of the billet lying in the trough can be run through the mill, but if it takes much longer, as is frequently the case, the billet becomes cold and has to be thrown to one side and reheated or scrapped, also the billet has to be run through the billet and rod mills in the same direction.

The principal objects of this invention are to provide simple and convenient means for saving the heat of that portion of the billet which is left in the trough and avoid the scrapping thereof, and to improve the ar rangement and construction of rolling mill plants and furnaces.

rlhe invention also involves certain improveniente in details of the reheating furnace and associated parts.

Reference is to be had to ing drawings, in which-- Figure l is a horizontal section showing the plan of a reheating furnace and enough of the plant to show how it can be associated therewith, and Fig. 2 is a plan of the same on a smaller scale showing other features of one form of plant with which it may be used.

The plant is shown as having a billet mill l connected by a track 2, with a rod mill 3. A switch 4 connects the rod mill with tracks 5, 6 and 7, and the billet mill is connected with the two tracks 5 and 6 by tracks 8 and 9, but it will be understood that this particular plant is shown simply for illustrative purposes.

When a billet a has lost too much heat in cropping it and straightening out the mill, or, for any other reason, has to be reheated, it is switched from the rod mill by the switch the accompany- Vbe further treated.

at the end of a reheating fun nace 13 heated by gas, oil or in any way. f"

rlhese doors or openings are.arranged at the sides of the ends, and in line with the tracks. The rolls l l are in pairs, the lower one of each pair being an idler connected with the piston of a cylinder 15 and the upper one, preferably, being driven by power through a pulley le, or the like. The furnace is made as long as the billet, or the longest ones that are to be run in the mill, and each billet is pushed in by the feed rolls and left along the outer side of the furnace. rlhen a series of compressed air, hydraulic, or other cylinders, or other power devices 16, are operated to force plungers 17 through openings 1S in the sides of the furnace so as to push the billet in toward the center where it will receive a moderate degree of heat, so as to allow a number of billets to be introduced successively.

The billets are removed from the furnace from the center in any desired way, but preferably by means of a cylinder or the like 19, the plunger of which has a gripper 2O thereon. in order to ermit the gripper properly to engage the billets the floor of the furnace is lowered at the front to form a depression 2i over which the ends of the billets project so that the gripper can move up to them and grasp their ends. As the billet is drawn out, a plunger 22 is caused to operate and move an idler roller 23 against it and force the end of the billet over into contact with a power roller 24 which is constantly rotating in a direction to cause the billet to be fed out on the track 7, along which the billet is carried by any ordinary means back to the rod mill, or to any place where it is to rhe various power cyl inders or other devices may be controlled in any desired way, and are preferably cperated from levers or the like located at a common point so that they will be convenient for one operator.

Although a specific plan of plant is shown, it is to be understood that the furnace may be located at any convenient point, as for example, at the side of the rolling mill, and if an accident happens, the switch is opened. That part of the billet lying in the trough is switched into the furnace and brought to and kept at number of b1 lets can be located in the furnace at once, and when the mill is started in roper rolling temperature. A l110 g track as it is withdrawn from the furnace.

out into the mill from the furnace.

operation again a new billet can be run through or a portieri of one can be brought Gn account of the side and center tracks one billet can be introduced while another is being Withdrawn.

lf desired a billet can be run directly to the furnace from the billet mill over the tracks 8 or 9, and then brought out to the rod mill on the track 7 in reversed position. ln this way the front end of the billet as it left the billet mill becomes 'the rear end as it enters the rod mill, and the grain is strengthened by being rolled in the reverse direction.

lNhile l have illustrated and described one form of the invention, and a specific arrangement of plant, l am aware that it may be carried out in other forms and with modifications, without depating from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. herefore l do not wish to be limited in all respects to the plant or details shown and described, but

1What l do claim is l. The combination of a reheating furnace having an opening in one end, a longitudinal track to which billets may be directed leading from said opening, means for taking a billet from the furnace and means for moving it laterally as it is withdrawn, and transferring it to the last named track.

2. rlhe combination of a reheating furnace having a side and a central opening in one end, a longitudinal track to which billets may be directed leading to the side opening, means at the end of the track for positively feeding billets from the track into the furnace, a second longitudinal track out of alinement with said central opening, means for taking a billet from the central opening, and separate means for transferring it to the last named The combination with a reheating furnace having at one end thereof a central discharge opening and two side openings, of pair of parallel longitudinal tracks extending l, up to said side openings, means at said side openings for moving billets therethrough l from the tracks, means at the opposite sides l of the furnace for moving said billets along laterally in the furnace to the center thereof, a track located between the said pair of tracks, and means for taking the billets from the center of the furnace, drawing them through said central opening, and placing them on the third track.

The combination with a furnace having at opposite sides of one end openings for the admission of billets, and having a floor for supporting the billets provided with a depression near said end, over which the ends of the billets are adapted to project, and means movable over said depression for gripping the billets.

5. The combination with a furnace having at opposite sides of one end openings for the admission of billets, and having a floor for supporting the billets provided with a depression near said end, over which the ends of the billets are adapted to project, means movable over said depression for gripping the billets and withdrawing them from the furnace, and means for moving them laterally as they are drawn out.

5. The combination with a furnace and means for introducing billets therein, of means for moving billets or the like laterally therein to the center thereof, a track at one' side of the center of the end of the furnace, means for withdrawing the billets from the furnace, and means for moving the ends of the billets sidewise on the track.

7. The combination with a furnace, of means for moving billets therein to the center thereof, a track at one side of the center of the end of the furnace, means for withdrawing the billets from the furnace, a power roll at the side of the end of said track, an idler roll, and means for moving the idler roll toward the power roll to push a billet into contact therewith, whereby the billet will be held between the rolls and fed on the track.

S. The combination with a reheating furnace, of means for withdrawing articles therefrom, a track adjacent to the furnace, a roll at one side of the track, an idler roll movably mounted on the other side of the track, and means for moving the idler roll toward the first named roll.

ln testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BERNARD FETERSON.

llrlitnesses il. E. Far, g C. Fonnnsr Wasson. 

